This invention relates to gear indicators for bicycles and more particularly to a gear indicator that is centrally located about the handlebars without having to be attached to the handlebars or bicycle frame.
It is known in the art relating to bicycles to provide a gear indicator to inform a rider of the current gear position of the bicycle transmission. Usually, bicycle transmissions are controlled by a manually operated shift actuator that includes a control cable having an inner wire that slides within a tubular outer housing. One end of the inner wire is connected to the shift actuator, and the other end of the inner wire is connected to the bicycle transmission. The shift actuator selectively pulls or releases the inner wire to change gears in the transmission. The bicycle transmission may be a derailleur or internal hub transmission.
Typically, the shift actuator will have some sort of indicator associated with it to indicate the currently selected gear position of the bicycle transmission. Derailleur operated transmissions usually have a front derailleur shift actuator and a rear derailleur shift actuator, so one indicator is attached to the rear derailleur shift actuator to indicate the currently selected gear for the rear derailleur and another indicator is attached to the front derailleur shift actuator to indicate the currently selected gear for the front derailleur. Consequently, since the shift actuators are usually mounted at the opposite sides of the handlebar, the rider must inconveniently look to opposite ends of the handlebar to ascertain the currently selected gears.
Several attempts have been made to overcome the above stated inconvenience by remotely locating the gear indicators from the shift actuators. Typically, these types of gear indicators have been attached to the handlebars. A drawback with this configuration is that the gear indicators are not adaptable to various sizes and shapes of the handlebars. In addition, the indicator takes up needed place for other devices that need to be attached to the handlebars such as bicycle computers, lights, etc. Therefore, there is a need for a bicycle indicator that is centrally located near the handlebars, but not attached to the handlebars or frame.
The present invention provides a gear indicator for a bicycle that includes first and second control cables connected to first and second shift actuators, respectively. The gear indicator includes a housing mounted onto the first and second control cables. The housing is spaced apart from the first and second shift actuators and is not attached to the handlebars of the bicycle. A first pulley is disposed in the housing and is rotatable by a displacement of the first control cable. A second pulley is disposed in the housing and is rotatable by a displacement of the second control cable. A first gear display element is movable in response to the rotation of the first pulley. A second gear display element is movable in response to the rotation of the second pulley. The first and second display elements indicate the currently selected gears of the bicycle.
The housing lies in two different planes that may be substantially orthogonal to each other to provide a good viewing angle of the gear display elements. Also, the shape of the housing provides stability to the gear indicator by directing the control cables to enter the housing in one plane and exit the housing in another plane. Thus, the housing includes at least one cable inlet that lies in one plane and at least one cable outlet that lies in another plane. The housing may further include a display window for viewing the first and second display elements. The display window lies in the same plane as the cable inlet to provide a good viewing angle. The first and second pulleys may be substantially coaxial. The first and second gear display elements may also rotate about the same axis as the pulleys to provide a compact construction. To provide easy viewing of the gear indicator, the housing is disposed on the control cables in close proximity to a center of the handlebars.
The present invention provides a gear indicator that is centrally located near the handlebars, preventing the rider from having to look at the ends of the handlebars to ascertain the current gears of the bicycle. The gear indicator integrates two indicators for front and rear transmissions into a easily viewable single display. It also provides a gear indicator that does not have to be attached to the handlebars, resulting in more space available for other devices to be attached to the handlebars and a simpler design with one less part. Further, this configuration provides a more flexible construction such that the gear indicator bends when a force is applied against it.